Washington: A new study has revealed that doctors often fail to detect high blood pressure in kids with chronic kidney disease, thereby increasing a child`s risk for serious heart problems.
During the study, researchers recruited 198 children and compared blood pressure measurements obtained during regular doctor visits to readings obtained via a special device the children wore at home that automatically recorded their blood pressure every 20 minutes.
They found that nearly 40 percent had ‘`masked`’ hypertension, meaning their blood pressure was normal at the doctor`s office, but spiked outside of it.
And children with masked hypertension were four times more likely to have a form of hypertension-related heart damage called left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) than children with normal blood pressure.
LVH is a common consequence of untreated hypertension that results in a thickening of the left chamber of the heart and that over time can lead to heart failure and heart rhythm disturbances.
"Taking blood pressure at the doctor`s office clearly misses many cases of masked hypertension," said Dr Susan Furth, a pediatric nephrologist at Hopkins Children`` and one of the study`s principal investigators.
The expert added: "This means children with chronic kidney disease should have their blood pressure taken at home several times a day and regularly reported to their doctors."
An overnight monitor, like the one used in the study, that automatically takes a child`s blood pressure every 20 minutes is great.
"Our findings are a sobering reminder of something we have long known: Blood pressure changes constantly throughout the day," added study lead author Mark Mitsnefes, M.D., M.S., from the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Cincinnati Children`s.
The researcher added: "We really can`t rely on a single measurement as a valid indicator."
Investigators recommend that all children with chronic kidney disease get regular at-home readings of their blood pressure in addition to those taken during their visits to the doctor.
The findings appear online in the Journal of American Society of Nephrology.
ANI